Forging Elite Fitness

It's that time again: a reminder that while we attempt to mitigate injuries by using proper form during our training, injuries happen. When they do occur, we have to treat both the physical and psychological effects. The physical rehab is often straightforward, if not a bit tedious, but the mental rehab can have serious repercussions on your future fitness.

On Saturday I was finishing up my workout with some heavy prowler pushes in the alley when I felt something hit me in the back of my left leg. I turned around, only to realize that nobody was behind me, and that the feeling of being hit was actually a serious strain of my calf muscle. I spent the rest of the weekend and most of Monday unable to put any weight on the injured leg. I allowed myself about an hour on Saturday to feel sorry for myself, and then I put all those feelings aside and planned what the next few weeks would look like. While the rehab will likely take a several weeks, it'll probably be a couple of months before I regain full strength and mobility in my leg. I know, however, that with the support of Chris, Armen, Annie, and the rest of the CF818 family, I'll have little trouble in coming back as strong as ever!

If you're dealing with an injury and it's got you feeling down, come talk to your coaches and we'll help you plan on how to stay engaged and recovering actively!

As you know, one of the big differences between CrossFit and a conventional workout is the use of movements that require a certain degree of skill and practice in order to perform correctly. Sometimes certain skilled movements we use in CrossFit require more practice than class time allows. Other times, you may find yourself unable to complete certain movements with full range of motion due to mobility limitations. In all of these cases, we encourage you to come early and stay late to work on these movements and your mobility. However, you can reach your goals faster or more fully by practicing at home.

Practice doesn't mean another workout, though. You might spend some time at the bottom of the squat to work on lower body mobility or jump rope for 5-10 minutes to work on double-unders (just a couple of examples).

If you're interested in working on your 'goats' but aren't sure what CrossFit homework you should be doing, just ask one of your coaches!

Stumbled across this post and thought it was appropriate (courtesy of www.crossfitlisbeth.com):CrossFit likes bad girls. Hell, CrossFit creates bad girls.

Pick the weight up. Throw the weight down. Swear out loud if you want to. Stand in a room with a bunch of half-naked hot bodies. Wear overpriced pants that make your ass look and feel fantastic. Sweat. Breathe heavy. Finish. Lay on the floor, exhausted, eyes closed, chest heaving. Get up and do it all again tomorrow.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating:The barbell changes women. No properly coached CrossFit woman is immune to the lure — the Siren call — of the barbell.

Come here. I’ll take you places you always wanted to go. Put your hands on me. Feel what your power can do.

CrossFit is fantastic for men, but for women? Often, nothing short of transformative. For an hour a day, you get to take all of society’s polite expectations and old baggage and haunts of years gone by and throw that sh** in the corner. Pick up the barbell and become who you always wanted to be but were scared to really become. For an hour a day, you are the bad girl. Enjoy it . . . and go tell all your girlfriends, because everywoman should get to feel like a bad girl sometimes . . .

This past weekend was the CrossFit 818 2012 Combine. Just like everything else we do at CrossFit 818, it was super sweet. We collected some data from all of you abou where you're at, and I'm happy to present you with the compiled lists. Hit up the link at the bottom of this post for a spreadsheet detailing all of your achievements over the weekend. We'll be using this to update the leaderboards this coming week, so don't be surprised if you catch your name up on the boards sometime soon.

Did you miss the Combine? Well, we love ya, so you've got another shot at getting it done this coming weekend. Show up to the Wreckshop at a little before 12 PM to warm up and at noon, the magic begins!

Have you ever heard of the person that won the lottery and ended up losing all of their fortune in the next couple of years?

How about the person that goes on a diet, loses 60 lbs and ends up gaining all the weight back?

Or the person that has been divorced multiple times?

We are coming up to the end of January where this is just about the time all those people that made the resolutions will end up packing it in and stopping what they set out to do.

Are you that person? Have you made goals in the past that you have not accomplished?

Until recently, I haven't fully understood the reason why we fail at completing our goals. I thought it was poor planning, lack of discipline, letting the nay-sayers convince us otherwise, etc... Then I read a quote that opened my eyes to the truth.

"If you want have more... you have to become more. Success is NOT a doing process, it is a BECOMING process. What you do, what you pursue, will elude you -- it can be like chasing butterflies. Success is something you attract by the person you become." -- Jim Rohn

I have always thought otherwise. Searching for ways to improve, ways to do more, get better. I believed, like most people, that to get better, I need to figure out what I needed to do better.

There is no secret what to do to get better and how to get it done. With all of the information out there we can find out exactly how to lose that weight, exactly what it takes to make a million dollars, exactly how to improve any aspect of our lives. So why aren't we all ripped, happy, made of money and successful beyond our wildest dreams??

I see people all the time that say, "I want to lose weight", "I want to get healthy", so they join a gym (or a CROSSFIT) or go on a DIET, and in the beginning they are doing great! Showing up for classes, eating healthy, losing weight, feeling better but then something familiar happens. They begin the good ol' self sabotage...

So instead of coming 3x days a week, now it's 2.

--Or--

Then they get busy at work so they skip a week.

--Or--

The results aren't coming like they used too in the beginning so now they are less motivated then when they initially started.

So you let yourself off the hook...Once again!

And all of a sudden you look in the mirror and its 6 weeks, 6 months, HELL 6 years have gone by and you are stuck with the same problems...Once again!

Because instead of focusing on how to do it, we need to focus on who we need to BE to do it. By constantly working on improving 'it' (your goal), 'it' will continue to elude you. The reason why is because you will let all the things that have always stopped you continue to get in the way of you. Until you figure out that you must begin to work on YOU, 'it' will naturally rise to the level of the new you.

Your self identity works like a thermostat. Just like a thermostat in your room has a set point, you have your internal set point as well. Your current set point is based on exactly who you are today. Your set point is based on your past experiences and what you think and believe about yourself. No matter what temperature fluctuations occur, your internal thermostat will bring the room back to the set point. If its too hot, the air conditioning will kick on to cool it back down. The temperature drops below the set point, the heater will kick on to warm the room back up.

There is no difference in our own lives. Our self worth is our set point. If you view yourself as a low worth person, you have a low set point. If you value yourself highly, your set point is HIGH. What you achieve out of life will never be greater than what your set point is.

So how do you raise you set point?

A Part II of this post will be coming at you to explain how and why. But in the meantime here is a HINT...

At times your coaches can be repetitive. It isn't because we like hearing ourselves speak (okay, maybe a little bit), but because the information is important enough that we need to make sure you assimilate it. What does important mean in the context of CrossFit? Important means the difference between setting a PR or injuring yourself.

Today's workout is one that is generally meant to be done over the course of an hour not minutes, so it is imperative that you warm-up properly (we'll help you do that), maintain correct form, and understand that you may not be shooting for true maximums. Losing focus and concentration can lead to sloppy form and at best a missed lift. I've spoken before about zoning in vs. zoning out. I want to you to get in the zone rather than letting your mind go elsewhere during a workout. Maintain your concentration during workouts and you'll train better, get results faster, and avoid injury!

Our first CrossFit 818 Combine was a great success! Those who participated now have a very good picture of where they are in various strength, skill, and metcon movements (we'll be posting/emailing the results this week). We plan on holding the Combine twice a year in order for you to gauge your level of fitness during an organized test. For those of you who were unable to attend this weekend, fear not: we will be holding a make-up Combine at 12:00pm on Saturday during the Wreck Shop. Normal Wreck Shop fees apply and you must reserve your spot with Chris, Armen, Annie, or me by Thursday close of business.

Keeping the theme of preparing for competition going, this week at CrossFit 818, we'll be doing each of the workouts from the 2012 OC Throwdown (you know, that huge event Coach Armen dominated). For those of you who do not have unlimited memberships, but are interested in doing all the workouts this week, speak to one of your coaches about a special drop-in rate for CF818 members this week only.

As most of you have seen, the 2011 CrossFit Games was a weekend long competition that aired on ESPN with the world's best male and female CrossFitters vying for the title of Fittest On Earth. The road to the 2012 Games begins with the CrossFit Games Open on February 22nd and will involve five weeks of workouts. Everyone is able to participate and compare their scores with CrossFitters locally and around the world.

Look for more information about how CrossFit 818 will participate in the CrossFit Games Open and how you too can be part of the competition! Until then, enjoy a little taste of last year's Open competition. The top legitimate score reported was by Josh Bridges (2nd place finisher at the 2011 CrossFit Games), who scored 600 reps (16 rounds, 9 Deadlifts, 12 Push-ups, and 3 Box Jumps.

Andrea, Ben, Carl, and Alex enjoy the calm before the storm... the storm they have to row their way out of!

Wanna get an extra workout in this week for free? Wanna know where you're at with a handful of key fitness benchmarks? Wanna spend a couple hours on Saturday afternoon rocking out with the coolest CrossFitters you'll ever meet? Then you've got no excuse to miss the 2012 CrossFit 818 Combine! A 90 minute long session, the Combine is a series of 15 tests split into three 30 minute sections. Wanna know what you're gonna be doing? Check out the Announcements board for the full list, but here's a preview:

And there's even more! You'll have plenty of time to rest, recover, and perform at your best in each of these tests, and at the end of it you'll be glad you actually took the time to make it happen. The Combine is this Saturday January 21st. There are two heats available, one starting at 12 PM and ending at 1:30 PM, and one starting at 12:30 PM and ending at 2 PM. These are the START TIMES. I would highly suggest showing up 10-15 minutes before your start time in order to warm up and get ready for the awesomeness. Sign ups are on the Announcements board at the gym, right behind the rowers. Grab a marker and put your name down and we'll see your pretty faces at the Combine!

Alejandro demonstrating his best "This may be tough, but I'm tougher" face during a WOD!

Everyone, welcome Coach Annie to the mix! She will be officially coaching several classes a week and we're glad to have her on board as CF 818 Coach. When did you first start CrossFitting?:September 2007, but it was on my own in a "globo gym". I was a "legit" Crossfitter October 2008

When did you first start training at CF 818?:

The First Day it opened. I am an OG at CF 818

Tell us about your sports and fitness background:

I have been very active my whole life. Since I was young I was always involved in a sporting activity I was a dancer, gymnast and played every sport I possibly could. In fact in 9th grade I had a choice to be a cheerleader or go out for the basketball team. I remember seeing the conditioning the basketball girls were doing which far exceeded anything the cheerleaders were; so I knew what my choice had to be. I also ran track, played volleyball, and tennis. I went on to play tennis at the college level too. While in college, I began to teach aerobics classes and personal train clients and I fell in love with fitness. If I wasn't at school I was at the gym. It was and still is my home away from home and a huge part of the Mello's life!

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD...what was it, and how did it feel?

I was first introduced to CrossFit by my husband, he called me and wanted me to come to "this gym" and do a "baseline" workout. He explained what it entailed and my reaction was "that's it?" Well the joke was definitely on me! The workout took me around 5 minutes and I immediately felt like I was in basketball "hell week" and I was hooked! It was exactly what I was looking for and missing in my training! My first official WOD was an AMRAP 20: 10 Turkish Getups, 25 squats, 400 meter run. I felt great, the people were so nice and welcoming, and it really pushed me in a way I had not experienced in a long time.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?:

My whole life has been transformed from CrossFit. I thought I was in great shape when I walked through the CF doors, I also thought that my body was "as good as it was going to get", boy was I wrong! I have accomplished things in Crossfit that I never imagined and this has carried over into my personal life as well. I never imagined I could do a pullup, let alone 55 in a row. I can Overhead Squat my body weight, I can mentally push through situations in my life because I know what I have accomplished at the box! I have set goals and not only hit them but far exceeded them. I believe in myself and my capabilities through CrossFit. I am proud to be "fit" not skinny! I can workout with just a sports bra and feel great! I associate food as fuel, not as calories, a diet, etc... It has empowered me to coach a gym of over 200 members and help them reach their goals; getting them on the path to be the best they can be!

What sort of change in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

I have completely transformed my body, and I am capable of doing exercises and movements that I never in my life imagined I would be doing!

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CF 818 moments:

Going to the 2010 Regionals for the CrossFit Games. It was so great to work hand in hand with 6 other great individuals who pushed you, cheered you on, and took you to new levels that you did not know you were capable of going. It was also fun to train for something important again. I feel like after high school and college it is really hard to find an activity where you can feel that way again.

Any advice for people just getting started?

Do NOT compare yourself to others! Go into this process with an open mind and really challenge yourself. Get involved, it is called "CrossFit Community" for a reason. Last, utilize the coaches it is what we are here for and this will be the KEY to making CrossFit have a lasting impression!

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I love cooking, baking, dancing, hiking. One of my favorite things to do is right my daily blog (www.fitchicla.com). I also love to help empower people; giving people tools they need to take their health and wellness to the next level!